France's Marine Le Pen says she will appeal conviction, run for president in 2027

Marine Le Pen announced her 2027 presidential bid, saying, "the French will have the last word," while pledging to fight the conviction.

President of far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) parliamentary group Marine Le Pen arrives to attend the verdict in the appeal trial of RN former or actual members on charges of embezzlement of European public funds in a case of alleged European Parliament fake jobs at Paris Court of Appeal on Jul 7, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Kenzo Tribouillard)

07 Jul 2026 09:29PM

(Updated: 08 Jul 2026 04:02AM)

PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced on Tuesday (Jul 7) that she will run for president in 2027 and fight her conviction after an appeals court shortened her ban on holding public office.Le Pen's presidential hopes had been in limbo since March 2025, when she received a five-year electoral ban for using money from the European Parliament to pay wages for staff at her anti-immigrant National Rally (RN) party in France.On Tuesday, the Paris appeals court upheld Le Pen's conviction for misusing European Parliament funds but reduced the ban on running for office, clearing the way for the 57-year-old to stand in next year's election. The court also said Le Pen would need to wear an electronic bracelet for a year.